Crystal of Hope
by TitaniaSarys
Summary: Oneshot about Ahsoka, Kanan and Ezra who visit the Jedi Temple after all this time. What will they find there? Will they be able to make peace with the past? Follows Homemade candles and is set right after episode 9 season 2 of Star Wars Rebels. Hope you enjoy it!


**Hi guys! So this little oneshot takes place after the 9th episode of SW Rebels season 2. In my story, Lux has already been introduced, although he's not present in this oneshot. Don't worry, he'll be present elsewhere, I actually have a couple ideas for some Rebels fanfics where he's going to appear, to kind of continue what I started with Homemade candles (altough I never intended to continue it, it's your comments that inspired me).**

 **So here it is, I just felt like this story had to be written, like Ahsoka had to go through this stage to accept what happen. Hope you'll enjoy it. Please feel free to follow, fav and review, it helps me a great deal. Stay tunned for my other stories!**

 **TS**

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this, Commander?"

"Certain."

Rex simply nodded and the three of them straitened their dark cloaks. Ezra was moving in his with some difficulty, it was the first time he wore something like that. Kanan wasn't at ease too but Ahsoka seemed to be perfectly fine like she had a lot of experience wearing this kind of clothing which she probably had gained when she hid from the Empire.

"We'll contact you when we'll be leaving, we can't stay too long, it's too risky."

Rex nodded and his hand shot to his temple, which only made Ahsoka smile and she performed the same military salute before turning to the two Jedi.

"Are you ready?"

They simply nodded and climbed in the small car they just rented. Ahsoka was an excellent pilot, an extraordinary leader, an incredible fighter and an amazing Force user; Ezra wondered was else she was really good at. Rex waved them goodbye as their car got into the heavy traffic of the lower streets of Coruscant. Ezra had never been there and was looking at everything with awe, but Kanan didn't seem to share his enthusiasm.

"So, where are we going? Because if we took all those precautions, I guess we're not supposed to be here, right?"

Ahsoka slightly turned her head to the side to answer, but kept her eyes on the driveway. The traffic was pretty intense but from what Ezra had heard, it was nothing compared to the multi levels of the upper city.

"You'll see when we get there. Enjoy the view for now!"

She sped up a little bit but always remained in control of the car, getting closer by the second to the entry to the upper city. When Ezra had asked for more details back on the ship with Rex, Kanan refused to give him any. His friend had shown at the same time excitement and anxiety at the sound of this journey and Ahsoka had filled him in, but not Ezra. She kept telling him she wanted to make it a surprise.

They had taken countless precautions to enter the system which was so far away from Lothal or Garell or any other system Ezra knew. It was said to be in the heart of the Empire and Ezra shivered: he didn't want to run into some Inquisitors, not so shortly after they just rescued those two Force sensitive children. First they had used an old ship with its data completely wiped clean to reach a neutral system, then they had boarded a cargo to Corsucant and landed in the lower streets where Rex was supposed to wait for them. For the boys, it was kind of easy to travel, they looked just like regular humans but the montrals and lekkus of the Togruta attracted too much attention, even with the cloak. That's one of the reasons Ahsoka wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.

They finally reached the upper city and the traffic got awfully quick and crowded. Ahsoka pressed on, driving even faster to match the average speed and Ezra was thankful for her reflexes and pilot skills because at times he was pretty sure they would ram into the next car. There were so many vehicles and people that the young apprentice didn't know where to look. Lights were flashing everywhere, music and engine noises erupted in the air, people cursed and fought.

Ahsoka turned right and rose up and suddenly they were on one of the highest driveways, there were a lot less cars there and the noise somewhat subsided. Looking down, Ezra froze and gripped Kanan's shoulders tighter, making the latter groan. The boy couldn't believe they were this high and that cars were driving all the way down there.

"There are so many levels and cars!"

"And you haven't seen it all yet," replied Ahsoka with a smile. "There's a whole city even under the lower streets we were with Rex, but we won't go there. It's not a nice place and I don't plan on returning there anytime soon."

Ezra looked at her but the only thing he could see was the back of her cloak. Something in her words and intonation revealed that she had spent some time in this not so nice lower city and that it probably wasn't the best memory she had of Coruscant.

"So Kanan, you've already been here, on Coruscant?" Ezra asked, getting a little bit bored now that they weren't in the heart of action and traffic anymore.

"I lived here for a while, as a Padawan. But it's Ahsoka who's lived here for the most part of her life."

Again, the boy looked at the back of the Togruta and she didn't answer, either because she didn't hear Kanan or because she didn't want to. She suddenly turned again and they left the driveway, simply driving through the air. A huge oval shaped building could be seen on the right.

"That's the Senate. It's even more impressive inside," Ahsoka said and the boy whistled in admiration.

"So, are you finally going to tell me where we are going?" Ezra asked again, getting impatient.

"There," said Kanan and he pointed to a building that was rising above all others, dominating them with its height and strange shape. "That was the Jedi Temple."

Ezra gasped as they got closer to the five towers mounting what looked like a square building. It was so grandiose; he had never seen anything like that. Ahsoka stopped the car on a landing platform and sighed sadly. How many missions had she started and completed from this very same platform? Once she killed the engines and got out, her eyes did an automatic sweep of the perimeter and she used the Force to determine if someone was there but the Temple seemed deserted. She held back the tears as her memory filled her vision with people from her past.

Here she saw herself sitting on the wing of a small fighter, R2 next to her biping joyfully as she waited for her Master. There she remembered having talked with Master Plo about her involvement in the mission at the Citadel. In another place she remembered bringing back Boba Fett and the conversation he had with Master Windu. A little bit further she came back with Senator Amidala after the Congress on Alderaan where Padme had nearly been assassinated. There she had a nice talk with the Togruta governor of Kiros once they saved her people from the claws of the Zygerrian slavers. A little to the left she had crossed lightsabers with all the younglings from the Gathering and exchanged her last words with Hondo. Now, after all this time, she enjoyed the old pirate's company and had the occasion to meet him a few weeks back, once she had red Ezra's report on how he met the old chief of the Hondo gang.

And here, in front of her, at the very place she was standing deep in thoughts, her Master had greeted her after those Trendoshians had captured her and hunted her for sport. It had been one of the most precious moments she had shared with Anakin and the most formal one. She had never bowed to him in respect before that. She had never thanked him properly before that. She had never told him it was okay to let her go before that. But things turned out differently just like they always did.

"Why did you want to come here?" Ezra asked.

He was pretty sure the answer was something else than sadness or melancholy. It just didn't seem like Ahsoka to put them in so much danger just to see the Temple again. The Togruta turned to them both and took of the hood of her cloak, revealing her high montrals.

"There is something I need to check. Come, I'll show you."

They walked through the corridors in perfect silence. There were no bodies on the ground but the area had been damaged, columns were broken, blood had stained the carpet and other things showed that a great fight took place there. Ezra could see and feel how much memories both Kanan and Ahsoka were experiencing. They were probably seeing things Ezra couldn't and never would and he let them be, quietly walking beside them until Ahsoka broke the silence.

"Do you know what happened here, Ezra?" Ahsoka asked, her face more serious now as if the shock of remembrance was gone.

"The Jedi Order was destroyed by the Sith."

She nodded and kept walking, her arms already back behind her back like they often did. Ezra got a feeling it was a Togruta thing, because no one else he knew walked like that.

"Every Jedi present in the Temple during the attack was killed in cold blood. Masters, Knights, Padawans and even younglings." She bit her lips before looking at Kanan. "I wasn't anywhere near Coruscant when it happened but Kanan was."

The young man shook his head and raised his hand in protest, not willing to talk about it and both Ahsoka and Ezra understood and didn't push it. Ahsoka then decided to finally reveal the reason of their coming.

"After those two Force sensitive children were attacked by the Inquisitors, I started wondering about something. I told you that back in the Clone Wars a Sith Lord tried to kidnap children the same way but he failed. The reason why he was able to find these children in the first place was that there was a certain item, called a Holocron, that can show a list of every Force sensitive child in the galaxy. Only a Jedi can unlock this item and it was stolen during the war and also activated. The point is, the Sith had that list in their possession for a short time. I don't know how they managed to get this information because it's been ages since it happened and the list didn't seem to have been copied, but I thought that we should check it out."

From the intonation in Ahsoka's voice and the way she kept looking straight ahead, not looking directly at them, made Ezra think she had something to do with that stolen list, but he didn't ask. They got into what was before the grand library and Ahsoka led them to the room at the far end that she opened with the Force. But once inside, they realized the whole place had been thrashed.

"Why is everything destroyed?" Ezra asked. "I thought the Sith only murdered people, not ransacked the place!"

This time it was Kanan who spoke while Ahsoka looked around at all the broken glass and vials on the ground.

"Once the Temple was deserted it fell in ruins and everyone could just walk around and take whatever they wanted."

They didn't stay long in the room and left the library empty handed. Ahsoka didn't think the Holocron or the other lists were taken, she thought it had all been destroyed, maybe even by the Jedi themselves to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. Once they were in the great hall again, Ahsoka asked Kanan if he wanted to go somewhere particular, like maybe his former quarters or his Master's but he politely refused.

"Alright then, we'll be heading back after I check one last thing."

They followed her and reached the living quarters. She didn't go to her own room where Ezra thought she'd go. After all, she left nothing there when she left the Order, her room was entirely empty. Instead, she entered her Master's quarters. She had only been there a few times but it was enough to recognize it. Anakin's smell had worn off after all these years even with the room closed. The place didn't seem soiled like the rest of the Temple: bandits and other scum that raided and plundered it probably thought the Jedi couldn't hide anything in their rooms because they are not supposed to form attachments, either with people or objects.

She didn't really know what she was looking for but her mind kept telling her to check things out. When she entered the dimly lit room, her heart almost stopped as her gaze fell on the things standing on a table in the middle of the room. She came closer and looked at it, tears threatening to come back again. A heavy layer of dust covered the three things that had caught her attention. The first one was a small wooden support that held horizontally two lightsabers, one that had a normal size, the other that was slightly shorter. She'd recognize them anywhere and instantly put her hands on her belt, where her new white lightsabers were attached. That gesture was seen by both Ezra and Kanan, but neither spoke.

The second object was another lightsaber but this one had been thrown on the table, like its owner didn't care as much about it as about the two on display. It was very different from the other two. Instead of being mostly silver and smooth, half its elements were black, the handle for instance, and it was a lot more worn. She also recognized this lightsaber for she had seen it many times.

The third thing was a small velvet box aligned with the wooden support. She slowly picked it up as if she was afraid it might break between her fingers. She held her breath when she opened it and saw what was inside. A long and solid string with colorful beads and pearls rested inside the elongated box like a jewel waited to be offered. It was her Padawan braid. She only started breathing again once she took it out of the box.

"What's all this?" Ezra asked when he stood next to her and looked at the ancient lightsabers which didn't look at all like his.

Ahsoka took a deep breath and tried her best to relax her face. She gently squeezed the braid in her fist before putting it onto the table and grabbing the first lightsaber from the support. She ignited it and held it above the table, observing the bright green blade. She then extinguished it and repeated these actions with the shoto which blade was golden. But she didn't ignite the last lightsaber, she just held it in both hands as if it was too heavy to hold with just one.

"These are my first lightsabers and my Master's. And this was my Padawan braid."

Kanan looked sad and stayed behind them, occasionally looking up but deeply listening to Ahsoka's words.

"What happened to him?" asked Ezra with a mixture of dread and curiosity.

Ahsoka bit her lips and closed her eyes for a moment. All this time, she had thought Anakin was dead, that he didn't make it out of the Temple alive. She had searched for him the moment she had felt a huge disturbance in the Force. At first, she wasn't able to tell who was still alive and who wasn't because she never finished her training and everything she was capable of today she only had herself to thank for. But after a while, she realized Master Yoda and Master Kenobi were somewhere and somewhat still present among the living beings using the Force and not one with the Force as were Master Plo and the others.

She had felt Anakin slipping away and she was sure he was dead when she couldn't sense him anymore. The day she had felt everyone disappear was the worst day of her entire life, even worse than when she had lost her squad in a space battle or the day she had left the Order. Feeling everyone disappear one after the other had rendered her both physically and mentally helpless and weak, it was a good thing no one found her like that because she would have been unable to put up a fight. For days she couldn't move or think, it was like a never-ending circle of suffering but eventually she pulled through.

It's only when she had started to dig into what happened that she learned the truth. Her Master was dead. At first she thought he was truly dead, as in not breathing, even when she found out he was the one responsible for the attack on the Temple, that he had been the one who took the lives of those he once called family and friends. She had heard about Darth Vader too, but never made the link between the two people until recently when they got attacked by the Sith Lord aboard the Ghost. To her, Anakin was gone and it was the truth. She hadn't lied to Kanan and Ezra that day when she said she didn't know who the Sith Lord was, because it was true: she didn't know him. Not anymore. The Anakin she knew was dead and was never coming back.

She only realized she had been gripping Anakin's former lightsaber when her fingers started to hurt and turned white from the effort. Ezra was looking at her with worry plastered on his face and Kanan put a supportive hand on her shoulder, releasing the tension she felt from the moment she discovered Vader's identity even if it had yet to be confirmed. She could be wrong, after all his Force signature had nothing to do with Anakin's. But deep in her core, she felt connected to him, at the same time like she had known him all along but as if he was a perfect stranger.

She didn't lit his lightsaber like she did with her own. She could guess that was the weapon of the crime and it disgusted her. Something in igniting it felt wrong.

"He's dead," she said, matter-of-factly. Again, she wasn't lying.

She then opened her Master's lightsaber up and took out the blue crystal along with the other colorless ones that only added some interesting features to the weapon before rebuilding it. She did the same with both her ancient lightsabers and gathered all the crystals in her hand except the blue one that she put in the small bag attached to the back of her belt. She also picked up her braid and turned to the door.

"Let's go, I've got everything I need."

She left the lightsabers were they were when she came, no one could tell the crystals were missing. She had taken them out for two reasons. The first one was that even if someone found them one day, they wouldn't be able to use it. She had always been taught and learned the hard way that a lightsaber was her life and that she should never let it out of her sight. The other reason was that Snips and Skyguy were no more. And so their crystals, the very heart and source of their weapons, their power, shouldn't stay behind.

They walked out of the living quarters and crossed the gardens. Even with the Temple deserted, that place was still beautiful. Ahsoka stopped in front of a great tree she had looked at millions of times during her apprenticeship. She then put all the remaining crystals on the ground, the colorless, the green one and the golden one and stamped on them, crushing them under her boot.

"What are you doing?" Ezra yelled. "Weren't those crystals precious to you?"

"Not anymore."

She had to cherish the memory of her past, not a material item that only reminded her of the violence and brutality such a weapon as a lightsaber could provide. She then stepped back and watched the brightly colored powder get blown away by the wind. A wave of relief washed over her and she got close to the tree. She remembered all the different kinds of birds and bugs that used to come on the branches but they were gone now, rendering what remained of the Temple completely silent. She stuck her braid between two branches, making sure it would hold and stepped back. After one last glance, she turned away and wiped with her thumb the single tear that had escaped her eyes.

"We're about to leave Rex," she said through her comlink and the captain acknowledged her words. She then turned to the Jedi. "Let's go back."

* * *

On their way to the base, Ahsoka contacted one of the higher ups in the rebellion and asked about the whereabouts of a specific person. Luckily for her, that very person was about to deliver some supplies to the rebels and they caught him just as he was leaving. Once he got his payment, the pirate was about to leave aboard his ship when Ashoka called him.

"Hondo!"

He turned to her, looking at her skeptically through his worn off goggles. She advanced her closed fist to him as if to give him something so he opened his hand and a single and small blue crystal fell in his palm. The pirate couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Are you still in the mood for crystals?" she asked with a weak smile.

Hondo wasn't an expert on Jedi, but he could tell something in her had changed during that small time she had been away. He smiled broadly and closed his fist.

"You know me, I'm always in the mood for profit!"

But no matter what he said then, what he thought later or the precarious financial situations he got caught in the future, he never sold it. Ahsoka smiled with more strength and conviction as she watched the pirate's ship take off and leave. Somehow she felt satisfied and hopeful. It was the right thing to do.


End file.
